Guide · For owners

A Preventive Maintenance Calendar

A friendly, practical guide to the monthly, seasonal and yearly home care tasks that prevent bigger repairs, shared between owners and residents so nothing gets missed.

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Where to start

Starting this month?
Pick one home check day and run the monthly checks.
Planning the year?
The season by season list covers spring, summer, fall and winter.
Sharing the work?
Agree in writing on which tasks residents handle and which owners handle, then keep a simple log.

The short version

Most big repairs start as small things nobody had time to check. A simple calendar changes that.

Each month, test alarms, check filters, look for drips and clean appliance filters.

Each season, clean gutters, service heating and cooling, and get the home ready for heat or cold.

Agree in writing on who handles what, and keep a simple log of every task.

Maintenance rules differ from place to place, so we’d gently encourage a quick look at the rules where your home is. If you ever have questions, we would love to help.

Four simple rules

1
Put it on the calendar
Tasks that are scheduled get done. Tasks we plan to remember often don’t.
2
Small checks, often
A few minutes each month catches problems while they are small.
3
Know who does what
Agree in writing on which tasks residents handle and which owners handle.
4
Write it down
A simple log shows what was done, when, and what is coming up.

Try it

Your monthly checks

From the guide’s monthly list. Tick each one on your home check day. These are examples; your home may need others.

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Walk every room. Look for leaks, smells or damage.
Test smoke and CO alarms.
Run water in every sink and flush toilets.
Check the thermostat and furnace filter.
Look under sinks and around the water heater.

Try it

Season by season

From the guide’s seasonal tasks. Tick them as each season comes around.

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Spring: clean gutters, check the roof, test the AC.
Summer: mow the lawn, check irrigation, clean the dryer vent.
Fall: clean gutters again, reverse ceiling fans, test the heat.
Winter: keep heat on, clear snow, check for ice dams.

Test yourself

How much do you remember?

4 quick questions from this guide, with a one line why for each. Totally optional, no sign in, and your answers are never saved.

From The Perfect Series

Go deeper with a full year of checklists

The Perfect Seasonal Home Care Checklist Workbook from The Perfect Series turns season by season care into checklists you can work through all year.

See the workbook All books in The Perfect Series

Keep the full guide handy

The PDF has everything: everyday habits, what to do when something goes wrong, common myths, helpful resources and plenty of real-world tips. Print it, save it or share it with anyone who could use it.

Download the PDF

From the Bunklow shop

Take it with you

The Perfect Seasonal Home Care Checklist WorkbookA fillable workbook with a screen version and an ink saver print version.
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Sold on Payhip.

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This guide shares general information to help you, and is not legal or professional maintenance advice. Please follow your manufacturers’ instructions and use qualified professionals. Bunklow does not perform maintenance or repairs.